What Is Tallow?

Tallow is rendered animal fat, most commonly from cows or sheep. It’s solid at room temperature and has been used for centuries in cooking, candle making, soap, and even skin care. In skin care, tallow is valued for its rich fatty acid profile and emollient texture. Is tallow good for your skin, here is the truth on plant-based skincare vs tallow.

How Is Tallow Rendered and Where It Comes From

Tallow comes from the fatty tissue of animals, typically those raised in the meat industry. Rendering is the process of slowly heating the fat to separate the pure fat from connective tissue and impurities. This can be done through a dry rendering process (using only heat) or wet rendering (using water or steam).

While some tallow is sourced from small, ethical farms, the reality is that the majority comes from factory-farmed animals, industries where animals often live in cramped, stressful conditions, endure suffering, and ultimately face slaughter. This process, while efficient for mass production, comes at the cost of the animal’s life and well-being.

Tallow and the Skin

From a purely cosmetic perspective, tallow contains a mix of saturated and monounsaturated fats similar to the skin’s natural sebum. This can make it deeply moisturizing and nourishing, helping to soften dry skin and protect the skin barrier. However, its benefits do not erase the ethical and sustainability concerns tied to its origin.

Comparing Tallow to Plant Butters: Shea Butter as an Example

Shea butter, a plant-based butter extracted from the nut of the shea tree, is similar to tallow in texture and skin benefits. Like tallow, it is rich in fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants, making it excellent for moisturizing, soothing, and improving skin elasticity.

However, the way shea butter is obtained is vastly different. The nuts are carefully harvested by hand, sun-dried, roasted, and pressed to release the rich, creamy butter. No animals are harmed in this process, and it offers compassionate, dignified work, harvesting plants instead of laboring in slaughterhouses. This tradition often supports women’s cooperatives in Africa, providing income, preserving cultural practices, and empowering entire communities. Nature provides an abundance of luxurious plant butters that deeply hydrate and care for the skin.

• Shea Butter – Moisturizing, soothing, and rich in stearic and oleic acids.

• Cocoa Butter – Firm texture, high in saturated fats, excellent for sealing in moisture.

• Mango Butter – Lighter feel than shea, high in oleic and stearic acids, softens skin.

• Illipe Butter – Very similar to cocoa butter in hardness and composition, deeply nourishing.

• Sal Butter  – High stearic and oleic acids, helps restore skin elasticity.

• Kokum Butter – Firm, non-greasy, rich in stearic acid, great for dry, cracked skin.

• Cupuaçu Butter – Highly emollient and improves skin hydration by retaining water.

  Download our curated list of plant butters and their key properties we’ve used in countless formulations, each one a delight for the skin, leaving it soft, moisturized, and glowing.

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Plants vs. Animals: The Emotional and Ethical Perspective

The origin story of your skin care matters. Picking a flower or harvesting a fruit is a joyful act, life continues, and the plant renews itself. In contrast, obtaining tallow involves the end of an animal’s life.

Plant-based skin care is kind skin care, kind to animals, kind to the planet, and kind to your spirit. Your skin knows it, too. Many people feel a deeper sense of harmony using products derived from thriving, living plants rather than from animal byproducts of slaughter.

Why Many Choose Plant-Based Skin Care

• Ethical sourcing – No harm to animals.

• Sustainability – Plant-based ingredients can be grown, replenished, and harvested seasonally.

• Skin compatibility – Rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and nourishing fatty acids.

• Emotional connection – Using plant-based products aligns with compassionate, cruelty-free values.

In summary: Tallow can be beneficial for the skin, but its production raises serious ethical concerns. Tallow is not cruelty-free. Plant butters like shea offer the same luxurious skin benefits, without the suffering. Choosing plant-based is choosing kindness, for your skin and for the world.

At Joan Morais Cosmetics School, we are a fully plant-based, vegan company. We create kind skincare formulations that nourish your skin and honor the planet. We can feel the difference on our own skin, and we feel better knowing our products come from compassionate, cruelty-free sources. Our plant-based formulations are not only effective, they align with our values of kindness and sustainability. Learn how to make your own plant-based skincare formulations and experience the joy of creating beauty that feels good inside and out.